Welcome to the non-profit community resource of Race Conscious Dialogues! Whether you are interested in affinity group work, seeking to supplement DEI conversations in your workplace, or looking for a place to start a personal journey of learning and reflection, we offer a variety of small group cohorts held both in person in Oak Park, IL and virtually on Zoom.

Upcoming Sessions

*CURRENTLY RUNNING* COHORTS - FULL

SOMATIC AND EMOTIONAL WORK ON INTERNALIZED WHITENESS

IN-PERSON: Sundays 1PM - 3:30PM: February 11th - May 5th in Oak Park, IL

*UPCOMING 2024* WORKSHOPS - registration now open

BEING DIFFERENT: A MUSLIM ARAB-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE (open to all)

IN-PERSON: Sunday April 14th, 12PM-1PM at Kinfolk CoLab in Oak Park, IL

FOUNDATIONAL COURSE on WHITENESS & ANTI-RACISM (white presenting persons)

IN-PERSON: TWO FULL DAYS - August 10th & 11th at Kinfolk CoLab in Oak Park, IL

VIRTUAL: Thursdays 9AM-12PM: October 3rd, 10th, 17th and October 24th

BIPOC* AFFINITY GROUPS

Scheduling soon!

* for those who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color

Whiteness & Anti-Racism

The primary focus of our organization is working with white-bodied and white presenting persons in the context of racial affinity space, through a four-part workshop series. Topics include whiteness, socialization, social identity, dominant narratives, privilege, racism interruption, solidarity, systems of oppression and more. It is important to attend all 4 sessions.

The Journey Together

The Journey Together is a three-day, two-night collective journey for post Race Conscious Dialogues and/or RGW trained participants that is designed to move us beyond foundational race conversations, challenge us to think about how we are complicit in racial injustices that exist today, and what we can do to embody justice and build beloved community across dividing lines in our own context. 

BIPOC affinity groups

We periodically offer courses for people of the global majority with lived experience of racism in the United States. Topics explored are sharing our narratives, social identity, assimilation and white dominant culture, colorism, solidarity, systems of oppression and more. It is important to attend all 5 sessions.

Additional Resources

Here are some resources to check out before, during and after participation in the workshops.

In particular, we recommend the podcast series “Seeing White” .

Non-profit Cohorts

If you are interested in a cohort for your non-profit organization, REACH OUT HERE

Purpose

The Race Conscious Dialogues are designed to deepen awareness of identity, privilege, positionality to power and more, then integrate learning with everyday life. The foundational series consists of 4 sessions, 3 hours each, and are held both in-person and online. Each session is preceded with light readings to be done at home and the curriculum was developed in partnership with the Nova Collective.

All discussions, readings and activities are framed around unpacking and understanding Whiteness - our own socialization, the historical and current harm being caused by Whiteness and guided discovery of what we can do to disrupt racism and dismantle White supremacy. This personal work informs authentic solidarity and cannot be 'skipped' as we push to eradicate interpersonal and systemic racism.

Together, we are creating a brave and supportive space to show up through honest conversation. 

Board of Directors

  • Reesheda N. Graham Washington

    Board Chair

    Reesheda N. Graham Washington is an educator, licensed minister and certified coach with over 10 years of experience working with people from all walks of life on their equity and anti-racism journey. She currently serves as the CEO of RGW Consulting, LLC, a boutique consulting firm that invites partners and clients to reimagine and generate wonder and curiosity around community and organizational development, economic development, and equity through coaching, training, consulting, and facilitation.

  • Wilonda Cannon

    Wilonda Cannon is Senior Director of Development at Breakthrough Urban Ministries, Chicago, Illinois. Over the past four years, she has grown Breakthrough's annual revenue by over 60 percent. Moreover, she mentored a team of fundraising professionals who are ensuring that Breakthrough is no longer the "best kept secret" on the west side. As an award-winning public speaker and leader in non-profit fundraising, Cannon provides guidance and expertise to organizations managing campaigns and annual funds. Previously, Cannon served in the Air National Guard as a civil engineer. In addition to leading the fund development and strategic initiatives for Project Eden and the Joseph Business School, she graduated from the Joseph Business School, Forest Park, Illinois. For her work with Project Eden, she was named State Farm's Phenomenal Woman of the Year in 2010.

  • Faith Cole

    Dr. Faith Cole lives in Oak Park, Illinois with her husband and son. She is the Assistant Superintendent of Student Services for D212. She is a passionate leader with 18 years of educational experience in Oak Park in grades K-12th grade. Her extensive experience includes MTSS, PBIS, Equity and Justice, Teacher and Principal Mentoring, Special Education, Restorative Practices, and Student Services.

  • Kina Collins

    Known for her work in policy formulation, coalition building, and community engagement, Kina Collins advocates for gun violence prevention and health care. She established the Illinois Council on Women and Girls and successfully lobbied for House Bill 40, legislation that provides state health insurance and Medicaid coverage for women's reproductive health care. As part of Generation Progress, she helped launch the Beyond the Gun campaign and was selected to participate in the National Leadership Council for the Fight4AFuture network, a group of young people who work on actions that address the root causes of violence and inequality

  • Samina Hadi-Tabassum

    Professor Samina Hadi-Tabassum teaches cognitive and language development courses at Erikson Institute. Her research focuses on issues related to race, language, and culture. In addition to academic writing, she has published a book of poems and short stories. She has three children and lives in Oak Park with her extended family.

  • Lotus Lindez

    Our sincere thanks go out to Lotus Lindez! Lotus is a creative and heart-driven leader who seeks to heal others in all aspects of her life.

    As a UX Designer, they have performed 8+ Years in startup companies, large corporations, and agencies. Currently, they are leading the Oak Street Health design team to develop healthcare technology that helps healthcare providers heal their patients.

    Lotus has studied and practiced Buddhist philosophy and meditation for over 6 years, and teaches workshops at the Kadampa Meditation Center to help people heal their minds and unlock their potential.

    Lotus is also an actor, writer, and singer, making audiences laugh and bringing levity, joy, and reflection into their lives through Chicago theater.

  • Anne McNamee-Keels

    Anne McNamee Keels was a pioneering collaborator and facilitator for Race Conscious Dialogues. With a background in Theatre for Youth and Communities, she is passionate about fostering dialogue through the arts. She produces and co-hosts Lapsed, a podcast about growing up Catholic in which the hosts reexamine the faith in which they were raised from an intersectional feminist perspective. She lives with her husband and two children in Oak Park, Illinois, where she is active in antiracism and advocacy initiatives. We’re incredibly grateful for you, Anne!

  • Yoko Terretta

    Yoko Terretta advises Fortune 500 brands about how empathy-in-action, enhanced by digital solutions, can build stronger and more rewarding customer relationships. That same empathy is applied to Yoko's volunteer programs that work to eliminate race as a predictor of physical, mental, educational, and financial health. As a result of her work, she has become curious about what policies and solutions could counterbalance the many barriers to equity and liberate marginalized communities. With an MPH degree, she hopes to shift her day-job accordingly. Thank you, Yoko, for all you do!

The Team

  • Sydney Jackson

    Sydney Jackson grew up in Oak Park and studied Anthropology and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies (CRES) at The University of Chicago. Sydney founded and ran a not-for-profit organization in high school (Roses4Austin) and later supported local calls to action to promote equity for all regardless of race, socioeconomic status, or area code. They will be supporting RCD virtually through newsletters and registration, as well as in person two days per week with the gradual reopening of Kinfolk CoLab's space.

  • Dot Lambshead Roche

    Dot is a founding member and the Executive Director of Race Conscious Dialogues. Beyond RCD, she focuses on local initiatives for reparations and collaborative work within her community through the founding of Kinfolk CoLab. After studying history at Tulane University, and taught high school social studies in Chicago. She is grateful for the opportunity to earn a Master's in Leadership Studies from the University of San Diego, and is ultimately interested in ways to deconstruct whiteness within larger conversations of racial inequity. She lives with her family in Oak Park, Illinois, and loves listening to live music and being at the beach.